Call for investigation after teen dies running from fight on Staten Island

MARINERS HARBOR, Staten Island (WABC) -- Family members and Rev. Al Sharpton are calling for an investigation into the death of a Staten Island teenager who suffered an asthma attack while running away from a fight.

Investigators say there is no evidence 16-year-old Dayshen McKenzie was the victim of a hate crime.

According to one local report, a witness originally said a group of attackers chased McKenzie while shouting racial slurs.

Police say he was running away from a gang-related fight and died from a pre-existing medical condition.

"Why is it just being dismissed, like, we don't know if it's a hate crime therefore move on," there are a lot of questions," said Sharpton.

Police said no other witnesses reported any racial or bias-related comments.

McKenzie was at a prearranged fight between two boys at the Checkers restaurant on Forest Avenue May 27 at around 4:15 p.m.

He was in a crowd at the scene, but was not participating. When somebody thought they heard the word, "gun," everyone scattered, according to the New York City Police Department.

No one interviewed said they actually saw a gun.

McKenzie collapsed in the backyard of a Spartan Avenue home in Mariners Harbor. He was pronounced dead at Richmond University Medical Center about two hours later.